Torpedo



Aug. 17 1926.

S. B. MACFARLANE ET AL TORPEDO Filed Oct. 5, 1920 UWEIVTOR 5 JEMcFAeM/YEM EPPLEY WITNESSES ./////U(ZMIMUUXUJ- I 1 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 17,1926.

UNTITED STATE'S PATENT OFFICE.

soorr B. MACFARLANE, .01? THE mm STATES NAVY, A'ND MARION nrrnny, or

NEWPORT, nnonn ISLAND.

ronrnno.

Application filed October 45, 21:920. :Serial IND, 414,889..

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements intorpedoes, and pertains more particularly to torpedoes of auto mobiletype. L

It is a well-known fact that torpedoes in their run heat up to such adegree that certain parts of the turbine motor expand thereby renderingthe motor incapable of further use until the same has been overhauledand reconditioned. It often happens that these expanded parts are thrownby centrifugal action from the turbine with suliicient force to puncturethe shell, in which event the torpedo fills with water and submerges,becoming :a total loss.

It is one of the primary objects of the present invention to soconstruct .a torpedo that its turbine will be incapable of heatingbeyond a predetermined temperature, which temperature will besufficiently low to prevent injury to. its turbine.

In the accompanying drawings tormi-ng a part of the specification, threemethods by which this result is obtained, are shown and 2 said methodsconsist of the following: #(19 means .aifecting the pressure by whichthe fuel and water are fed to the combustion pot; means for controllingthe pressure by which the fuel line is fed to the combustion pot, and abacking up in the entire system of the pressure equal to the pressurebefore it reaches the reducing valve, said pressure being preferablytapped from the main line of the gyrospinmotor.

It is a further object of the invention "to provide a controlling devicein the form of a thermal plug or other device, said plug being aifectedby the heat generated at the turbine nozzle and being adapted to actuate4.0 the various pressures as above stated.

,A further object of .the invention is to provide a torpedo withcontrolling means of this character in such a manner that the presentknown construction is not materially 4.5 varied, thus making the deviceof the present invention adaptable to torpedoes already in use by merelyslightly changing the con struction thereof.

WVith the above and other objects in view,

no reference is had to the accompanying draw ings, in which i Figure 1is a side elevation partly in .section of a torpedo, (said figureillustrating one form of the present invention;

Fig. '2 is a detail sectional view of a portlon of the other end of thetorpedo showmg modified form of the invention-,-

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a still further modified term of theinvention.

.Fzl'glllfi 4: is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the checkvalve and its casing.

Figure 5 .is an elevation part-1y :in section and on an enlarged scaleof time turbine, and showing the pipe having a farsible plug connectedwith the nozzle thereof.

Referring .to the drawings, the referenc character .5 designates atorpedo, and p6 designates the air flask or tank thereof. In the commonform of torpedo, a fuel tank 7 i provided and said fuel tank 7 is placedconcentrically within water tank 8 as more clearly shown in Fig. 1. Theair flaskvis chargedby means of a charging valve from which a pipe 10extends to the interi r of the flask. v

ill'he reference character 11 designates the reducing valve and leadingfrom the valve 9 into the reducing valve ll is a main airline 12, bymean 02E which the air of the flask is introduced to the reducing valve11. The reducing value 11 has leading from its high pressure side twolines .13 and let, the line .13 being the high pressure line to thedistance gear (n0tishow-n),and the line 14 being the high pressure lineto the gyrospin (not shown in the present case).

Leading from the .low pressure side of the reducing valve .11, is a line15., and said line .15 leads to the housing 1 6 of the check valves 16.Leading from the check valve housing 16 are two lines 17 and '18, theline 17 being the pressure line for feeding the fuel from the fuel tank7, while the line 1.8 is the pressure line for feeding the Water fromthe water tank 8.

The reference character 20 designates the combustion pot, and leadinginto the 00 .1 bustion pot from the valve chest :21, are two lines 22and 23, the line 22 being the fuel line to the combustion pct :20, whilethe line 23 is the water line to the combustion pot 2.0- Tlhe fuel issupplied to the valve chest 2i by means of a pipe .24 and Water issupplied to the valve chest 21 by means of a pipe 25., it beingunderstood that these pipes 24 and 25 extend from the valve chest intothe fuel tank and the water tank, respec' tively. Branching off/from thegyrospin The several parts above described are commonly known in certaintypes of torpedoes as at present constructed, and 1t'1s in combinationwith these parts that the i present invention iS adaljtedwo' operate Inthepreferred form of :the invention, a thermal device to'behereinafterreferred to is positioned adjacent thenozzle 31, and leading from thethermal device at the noz- T zle31tothe point 35in the line 15 betweenmeans of fusible solder.

thereducing' valve 11 and the check valve 16, is a line 36. As shown thethermal device consists of a plug 36securedin the end of the pipe withinthe nozzle; 31- by Assuming now that the I torpedo has started on itsrun and the turbine thereof begins to heat up to a degree in excess ofthat to which the thermal device is set: the thermal device operates toopen the line 36 and upon opening the line 36 to the interior of thetorpedo,the low-pressure line 15 will be bled and the pressure passingthrough thecheck valve 16 tothe fuel and water tanks will bedecreasedandwill thereby decrease the amount of'fuel and water fed tothe combustion pot QOQ-WVhen the supply of water and fuel to'thecombustion pot 20 isreduced, it will be apparent that the degree oftemperature to which the air is superheated will be materially reduced,thereby providing for an automatic cooling ofthe turbine. lVith such adevice in operation, it is obvious that the turbine will not "heat to adegree of temperature which will afljectits running qualities and thatall'that is necessary to again place the torpedo in operative conditionis the installation of new thermal devices at the nozzle. 1

In that form of the invention shown in Fig. '2, the line 36 leadsfrom'the-nozzle 31 to the pressure line 17 of the fuel tank 7. *By thisconstruction, it will be apparent that when the fusible device at thenozzle 31 fuses, the line 17 will'be bled through the medium of the line36, thus causing a cessation of feeding of the fuel tothe-combustion pot20. Under these conditions, the

turbine will operate under flask pressure until said flask pressure hasbeen spent, at

which time the turbine will cease operation.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 8, the line 36 istappedintothe nozzle 31, and its other end is connected'to the line 1 1 of thegyro-spin. T :In this form of the invention when the fusible element ofthe nozzle 3l fuses, it will beseen that the {high pistol of the com=pressure air in the line 14: will be allowed to pass by way of theproducts of combustion line 32 to the combustion pot 20, and owing toits excessive back pressure will prevent proper combustion inthecombustion pot 20 and back up the whole system with an excessive airpressure which will render the same inoperative.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention providesmeans for protecting the turbine of an automobile torpedo in such amanner as to prevent its overheating and therefore prevent a rupture ofpressures therein in such a manner as to render the torpedo inoperativewhen any or all of its working parts have reached a predetermined degreeof temperature,- and we therefore do not limit ourselves to the precisemethods shown but may resort to any means for obtaining the end towardwhich this invention aims, i. e.,'the render ing of certain parts of atorpedo inoperative upon the generationby said parts of a predetermineddegree of temperature.

VVe claim:

1. In a torpedo, a propelling engine, pressure generating means forsupplying motive fluid to said engine, supply means for the generatingmeans and thermal means operated by a generation of a predetermineddegree of temperature of the enginefor reducing the pressure in thesupply means for the pressure generating means to render the motivefluid supply to the engine inoperative.

2. In a torpedo, a driving engine, a combustion pot, a connectionbetween the combustion pot and the engine, fuel containers, meansconnecting the containers with the combustion p ot, means for supplyingpressure to the containers, and a thermal device in the connectionbetween the combustion pot and engine and operated by a generation ofheat in the engine to render the supply of motive fluid tothe engineinop-f erative. I

3. In a torpedo, a driving engine, a combustion pot, a connectionbetween the pot and engine, a water tank, a fuel tank in the water tank,means connecting the tanks with the combustion pot, means for supply-'ing air under pressure to said tanksgand including a check valve, apipeconnecting' the engine with'the air supply means, and a thermaldevice in the said pipe 'and opdegree of gheat in said engine;

4. In a torpedo, a torpedo body having an air flask, a driving engine, acombustion pot, means connecting said pot with the engine, a water tank,a fuel tank in the water tank, means connecting the combustion pot withthe tanks, means for connecting the combustion pot with the engine, acharging valve connected with the air flask, a reducing valve connectedwith the charging valve, a valve casing connected with the reducingvalve, a check valve in the casing, connections between the valve casingand the said tanks, and a pipe having a thermal device therein andleading from the engine to the connection between the reducing valve andvalve casing.

SCOTT B. MAGFARLANE. MARION EPPLEY.

